The organiser of Makar Fest XL, a food festival held in Tunjong, Kelantan, has had their RM8,000 deposit seized and faces further penalties for breaching the state’s entertainment conditions.
The violations involved “free mixing” between men and women, as well as audience members dancing and jumping on stage during the closing concert on Saturday (31 January).
Kelantan Local Government, Housing, Health, and Environment Exco Hilmi Abdullah said the decision was made after authorities reviewed an enforcement report and a 40-second video that circulated on social media.
In an official statement last night (3 February), Hilmi revealed that the organiser faces a maximum penalty of up to RM30,000. Should they fail to pay the fine, they risk being blacklisted.
“The organiser failed to stop the concert to control the situation”
The three-day food expo, held from 29 to 31 January, received approval from the Kota Bharu Islamic City Municipal Council (MPKB-BRI) under the Entertainment and Entertainment Venues Control Enactment (Kelantan) 2025. Hilmi stressed that the organiser was also required to comply with the Kelantan State Entertainment and Sports Guidelines 2025 throughout the period.
He asserted:
“A serious violation occurred during the Masdo Band’s performance at around 10:30 PM, when a group of spectators was found dancing and jumping around.
“We also noticed uncontrolled mixing between men and women during the show. All invited performers, however, complied with the guidelines.”
Despite enforcement authorities removing several individuals for provocation and guideline violations, the situation remained uncontrolled, and the incidents were repeated. Hilmi confirmed that this is an offence under Section 13(1) of the state enactment.
Unexpected crowds on the third night
Programme director Issey Fazlisham issued a public apology on Facebook last night. As the event host, he stated that he had repeatedly reminded attendees of the rules, including the requirement for segregation between men and women.
However, he noted that a few individuals beyond the organisers’ control engaged in behaviour that defied the established guidelines. He maintained that the security team and the Makar Fest XL organisers took immediate action once the situation was identified.
“We had segregation [measures] from the front to the back. However, once the venue reached capacity, we could not control the rear area. We apologise to all parties and are always open to accepting improvements for future events,” Issey stated.
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